Process for reclaiming oils



April 4, 1933. J STQRMONTH 1,903,370

PROCESS FOR RECLAIMING OILS Filed Sept. 14, 1932 MENTOR.

'o/med gy his Attorney Patented Apr. 4, 1933 UNITED STATES PA-r wnoeia;;

JAMES s'ronmon'rn, or Errme, NEW sown WALES, nnsrmiarno'cass FOR nncmmme orLs Application mea September 14, 1932', Serial No. 633,119,.and1n'1ustra1ia August 12, 1931."

The essential feature of my invention;

consists in the employment of a fluid reagent which is brought into association with the mineral oil to be rejuvenated but will not blend therewith except at relatively high temperatures approximating that to which it is subjected as hereinafter described and which separates. from the oil when the temperature falls. The re-agent causes precipitation of some of thedelete rious content ofthe oil and combines with others thereof, the precipitate and the combined matters being carried away with the re-agent when it is separated from the oil under treatment. 1 Castor oil is there-agent best suited to my process. It is possible to use a blown oil, but such substitution is not altogether satisfactory because at the end ofthe proc-' ess the reclaimed oil will be found to'contain a small proportion of the blown oil re-agent and special means must be employed for its.

removal. e

I I will now 'describemy process in detail and also the apparatus which I have devised for employment therewith, referencebeing made to a diagrammatic elevation shown on the accompanying drawing;

It'must however be understood that the drawing is not intended to limit the inventionto the precise details of form illustrated, because, as will bewell understood by industrial chemists, the individual-successive steps inthe process may be carried out in any of several forms of apparatus each ca pable of producing the effect desired at that stage of the process. i p

According hereto the oil to be-reclaimed is run into a settling tank 1 where such imwater, acids and diluents are by purities, including water, as will settle out by gravitation are removed through a valve, at the bottom of the'tank'. The precipita- -tion of the impurities maybe facilitated by heating the oil by means of a steam coil2.

7 After this preliminary separation has been effected the oil-is delivered throu'gh a pipe 3 to a vessel-4 arrangedwithina jacket 5 containing oilwhich mayjbeheatedby a burner 6."

r The oil under treatment is then mix'edwith av re-agent formed'bysaturating castor oil (which maybe of second quality) while at a temperature of approximately 1609 F.with

amineral oil with which it will blend, jar instance a heavy red or palelmineral oil of high specific gravity.

The quantity required of there-agent will be about ten per cent by'volume of the quantity of oil under treatmentand it is passed v into vessel t through a funnel 7, and is thoroughly mixed with the oil "by agitating blades 8 upon a spindle 9 which is'rotated by a'bevel wheel 10 fixed 'upon it which ,is

enmeshed awhelel 11 upon a driven shaft12 The oil in j acket 5 is then heated by'burner 6 to such temperature "that the oil and reagent in vessel 4 are heated toa temperature preferably about 250 'F. which willprevent "condensation of super-heated steam which is about to be'used j v The mixture is then subjected to the action ofa 'jet of super-heated steam conveyed through a pipe 13 at a temperature of about 600 F; for sufiicient timefor all the content of heavy ends of fuel to pass ofilwith" the freed steam the'oil being by the removal of these relatively 'li'ghter hydrocarbons brought back to its original flash point and viscosity, i Kl 9 Vessel 4 iscovered by a hood 14 andthe vapors with thesteam are conveyed therefrom through a pipe 15; to a condenser 16 the distillate so collected being available for power or other purposes. 1

When the above stage inithe process has been completed, which may be. ascertained by taking the flash point of the oil under the mixture of oil and re-agent may be passed i into another vessel wherein it is cooled or, may be allowed to remain in vessel 4 and the hot oil in acket 5 substituted by cold oil or 5 other cooling medium.

.In either case the mixture is cooled down tators. 7

At this stage, and after the super-heated steam has been shfit Oh; it smallproporti'om' about three per cent, of trirnethanolamine, or other chemical havingsimilanefl'ect 'or i ar m lsifyin ipmee iee, m mbeed e 1 thrbhghfufi'nel 710' the mixmre for the pur I I5 tv -illbe nderste thati thecent frggingreneratie i ar ma l q n ty i f 1 "oil re-agent should be put into thecentriiugal I r itant Jfi thBl? filt redq rre n ritl ged 0r x11 6: ie-ag n .ar :delet rie matt r r v .ra-edelivze edIthrough. tpipe l9 td a r cept e 4 2O while; thezlti eated oil is delivered through f; a ;;pipej 2L to a nigring vessel-'22 wherein it,

machine tora t a a se .1 istheete w yl b n 2 a emperat of about, and notexQe ding, 260 ,F.

he ,-oil un,der;treatment atthe temperature, -eind e te she ei t en zwh l t njt e r d ;steps; heating the ,oil and; removing a i part matter kii gtheeinde in ee t 2 Whj n ucritie lt mperatu Wh e mayv y. s igh y with: t e..qu l tx-o t lgisiz aehe .40? thez'e ol ng qw f;t e-t l; h a ereg nt etat p ecipita s aauant y f -the oxidiz d 1 sep ra es eut t em t zo ltai d ca ri s. down I wit it,by;.: g ar tationwnotaen rt or ;;'.and,,i1idrg a suspe dedl mr r t es but z preoipitatedproduotsgofaoxidation, andjalso, I the withtwhiehii ii ;:e mbin in;s lut I thereby leaving the OiLQentir ly;freefrom It 1 Oxidizedproducts. {Whilst ;-this separation L bleu iii eiineeh n e dew-h n v ected.

:. p r; 124 an -I; tho oug ly: st re y t a f 25 which are revolved by anyaconvenient,

. ..;-me a s- .;:'l.hes i ring-ii 0 vfu ler eart may tak approximate y i hourt ie mple eI l G I mustibee ereise net td'u d y h l j operation or frothingmay ocour.

; 1 The pil withoutnb eing allowedl to settle,

Q8,- andpcontains'atdhebottom afiltering; p d, ei izzili'composed of asbestos; paper,- pulp, ;o13other, 5

e:ble he rb waey;usmLmeth i'e ntrat on.,.

Quid :take, plaeeebyagra ta ie .it i pre i ed; bee i s es vi giefmeie th e y gravity; at a, temperature; oi aboutW,16O 'F.

- thr i gh a Pipe3 diiiieduc i -mi im m perature within the chamber of 212 F.

Tlie reclaimed oil having been forced -"through the *filter may be "subjected to furtherfiltration in a similar filter and/or may be'blown with hot air to brighten it, or may The re-ag e'nt may bereclaimed'for further e eby th following means The, sludgeiw i r edveredi remr cent if g s para io and whic qeen a bo h I suspe e and dissolved. impur t is diluted. wit x ndiist al a coh l to; asu tehl degree and is, ,eitherfiltered gor centrifuged HbQ o- Thedissolved impurities,;such as ,asphaltic :-a.\ l oxidized I; matter; are; then precipitated ytp ro eumepi it 1 1? th rlsuitablepree p- I both." I a v Hhe rim th nel min my-bereee by:- extraction with water and subsequent con- Th ,Qlve shd prec pita may hen e p a I reme dby is illatio fIhepastor pilre-agent actuall'y lblends with iofvthe mpuriti theref o by'gra itatio t 1ii1g;,0ut; .miiii g' he i wit a flu agent cempr siiig. i a t r. o blended-W about 10% :Df, ,im ineral oil, ofv high; specific gravity at a temperature 'of ;about;;160 F. with which itwillnotible dle cept at high tempe at re; he ing the ;resu1tant; m 2t and subjecting it l-sup rfheate team l w being. stirred to "drive, ofiIdiluent material-"of n end lubricating value c oli g :th mi ur to about, :70"; 5E1,v separating thee ,oilj yfrom the re;agent and deleterious matters by centrifuging; adding decolorizing material; and

passing: the ,resultant;.;mixture throflugha I I i I, I Y straining medium tothereby-clarity the oil. Eu er ea th o t r d eeleri ngim i :ari l-tisath ;;slewly pas edain, ro i p-1 ofthe impurities therefrom gravitational settlingout; rmixinglthe oil with afluid reagent comprising' toaster oil; I blended I With about-10% of mineral oil of highflspecific Withwhichdt willnot blendmexcept .athigh 7 temperature heating the resultant mixture and subjecting itto superrheated steamwhile being stirred to driveofi: diluent material of I no lubricatmgvalue; addingabout 3% of an element tot the trimethanolamine etype; for

the purpose of assisting subsequent separation of the oil from the re-agent; cooling the mixture to about F., separating the oil from the re-agent and deleterious matters by centrifuging; adding decolorizing material; and passing the resultant mixture through a straining medium to thereby clarify the oil.

3. In a process for reclaiming mineral lubricating oil, the step which includes the employment of a re-a-gent, comprising castor oil blended with about 10% of mineral oil of high specific gravity at a temperature of about F. which will not blend with the oil to be treated except at high temperature, but which, when mixed with the oil and heated above boiling point of water or about 250 R, will effect precipitation of part of the deleterious contents thereof, and will combine with others whereby the precipitated matter may be withdrawn and the combined matter will be removed with the re-agent when it is separated from the oil.

4. In a process for reclaiming mineral lubricating oil, the step which includes the employment of a re-agent, comprising castor oil blended with about 10% of mineral oil of high specific gravity at a temperature of about 160 F. which will not blend with the oil to be treated except at high temperature,

but which, when mixed With the oil and heated above boiling point of water or about 250 R, will effect precipitation of part of the deleterious contents thereof, and will combine with others whereby the precipitated matter may be withdrawn and the combined matter will be removed with the JAMES STORMONTH. 

